Moving Right Along...

 All good things may or may not come to an end. After 16 years, the Militant is making his last post on This Here Blog Site...Because he has recently purchased his own domain and has set up a brand-spankin' new WordPress blog site! So, no, The Militant isn't calling it quits, he's just moving. He's had it with this Blogger.com platform and its very user-unfriendly formatting. But history-loving archivist he is, he will keep this site up as The Militant Archives and continue to link to this one when and where appropriate. Some important posts will be updated and migrated to the new site as time permits though.

In the meantime, you can find The Militant at his new website: militantangeleno.com! See you or see you there!

THE MILITANT'S EPIC ANNOUNCEMENT!

First off, HAPPY 237th BIRTHDAY, LOS ANGELES!

The Militant Angeleno has attended all 26 CicLAvias since the event began in October, 2010. And since April, 2011, The Militant has published his Epic Militant CicLAvia Tour guides, detailing historic and unique points of interest in the various communities along each CicLAvia route.

This time will be different*. The Militant, together with Ted Rogers from the bicycling advocacy blog Biking in LA are collaborating to bring you The Militant's Epic CicLAvia Tour - LIVE! A guided 8-mile bicycle tour (skateboards, scooters and rollerblades welcome too, though if you're on foot, you'd better know how to run fast!) through Grand Avenue, Wilshire Boulevard, Western Avenue, Melrose Avenue and Vine Street from Downtown Los Angeles to Hollywood.

This will be an historic event as The Militant Angeleno will make his first formal public appearance! (Whoa, WUUUUUUUT?!?! NO WAY!) Way! He will be co-guiding the tour along with Ted Rogers.  

We will be meeting at 12 noon near the Grand Hub (near Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown.

To register for the tour and get full tour information and details on exact meeting location, RSVP at militantangeleno [at] gmail [dot] com by Friday, September 28.

The Militant and Ted look forward to meeting you on September 30!

*The Militant will still be publishing his Epic Militant CicLAvia Tour XXVII guide in advance of this CicLAvia, but it will be a simplified version of the complete tour, which you'll get by joining us on September 30!

It's Coming...

You're gonna have to wait until Tuesday for this. But The Militant promises it's going to be pretty big (Such a tease, he knows...).

Oh, The Places He'll Go: Celebrating Five Years of Militancy on the Blogosphere!

It was five years ago this very month when a mind-mannered, yet proud and literate native Angeleno was surfing the web and felt disturbed and disgusted by the lack of local pride and knowledge that the local blog scene was dispensing. He was so disturbed and disgusted, he took a long bike ride to the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains and ventured on a long hike up towards the Angeles National Forest, where he encountered a wild California black bear who bit him on the leg.

Hours later, he felt himself change and adopt super powers. He then logged back on to the Internet, and started to drop his own knowledge and pride of Los Angeles on the blogosphere. From then on, that mild-mannered native Angeleno adopted an anonymous, third-person identity and became THE MILITANT ANGELENO.

The Militant has taken you on quite an adventure during the past five years, so he recently sat down and took inventory of all the places he's been to and written about on This Here Blog since June of 2007. You can visit each location by navigating this interactive Google Map, where you can zoom in and click on each point of interest, and click on any of the blog posts that visit the location:


View The Militant Angeleno Map (Part 1) in a larger map

But wait...there's more! It seems The Militant has been to so many places in This Here Blog in the past five years that one Google Map cannot hold everything! So there had to be a second map!


View The Militant Angeleno Map (Part 2) in a larger map

Even with all those locations, those maps still are not a comprehensive representation of all the places The Militant has blogged about. Those maps do not include multi-location tour/map posts like his legendary Epic Militant CicLAvia Tour (Original Version and Updated Version), Militant tours of the Metro Gold Line, the Metro Expo Line and Los Angeles historical maps showing locales relevant to Michael Jackson, President Barack Obama and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The maps are also useful to The Militant for (what may or may not be) the next five years, as it also gives him a visual clue as to which locations he hasn't yet blogged about (can you see a "South Bay Week" in the near future?)!

What were your favorite Militant Angeleno posts in the past five years? Are there any places you'd like to see covered in the next five? Has The Militant Angeleno changed your life or rocked your world? Please share them in the comments!

With great power comes great responsibility! But it's been an honor to serve you as your Friendly Neighborhood Militant!

STAY MILITANT!

Public Militancy 101: The Militant Steps Out Of The Shadows

The Social Media: Power & Culture blogger panel. From back: Class instructor Will Coley, Jorge Rivas from Colorlines.com, Celeste Freemon from WitnessLA.com and Yes It's Really Him In Person.
Photo courtesy of Tafarai Bayne.

Since The Militant Angeleno began his blogging endeavor nearly five years ago, from the get-go he sought out to be a mysterious, anonymous figure.

Always dressed in his camouflage garb, he is able to disguise himself as an everyday Angeleno (whatever that may or may not look like) and easily blend into society. You may or may not have met him before!

On The Militant’s first anniversary of his blog, he revealed what he looked like – at least from behind his bandana mask.

He may or may not have revealed himself to a select few native Angelenos who have earned his trust. Last summer, he even treated three loyal readers of this here blog to a free Dodger game, and they got to meet The Militant himself (he still maintained a semblance of his anonymity though).

But The Militant had always wanted to know what it would be like if he presented himself to a group of people in public. 

This past Thursday, he finally got that chance, thanks to one of his loyal readers Tafarai Bayne, who gave him the opportunity to sit on a panel of bloggers for Los Angeles Trade Tech College’s CP10 Social Media: Power and Culture class, taught by Bayne and Will Coley.

The Militant joined fellow bloggers Jorge Rivas of Colorlines.com and Celeste Freemon from Witness LA.com.

The instructors and the class of about 20 students asked the panelists questions about how the bloggers started out, why they decided to blog what they do, what sort of editorial decisions go into making their blog posts, and the topic of content ethics (e.g. crediting photos, the legality thereof and related issues like fair use and meme parody versions).

One of the students even asked The Militant straight-up why he is anonymous, and why he refers to himself in the third person. If you’ve been reading this for a while, you probably already know the answer to that one, right? Militancy 101!

Class is in session. Professor Militant in da house. Aw yeah.
Photo courtesy of Tafarai Bayne

The Militant also shared the background stories behind some of his recent posts, like the South Los Angeles Wetlands Park post, where, after doing errands in the area, decided to just roll through and experience the park for himself; and the Wilshire/Vermont Metro station cell phone post, which was originally intended to be written about several months ago, but The Militant decided to just write about it this week.

As for anyone concerned about whether The Militant finally revealed himself or gave up his anonymity, none of them happened. The Militant didn’t have to give up a thing. Also, he didn’t reveal anything about himself that he didn’t already reveal on his blog if you pay close attention. Though one student asked him a question about whether he had any previous professional writing experience, and he may or may not have had an answer to that.

The Militant had a great time, and the fellow bloggers there were very cool folks who dropped some serious knowledge themselves. Jorge Rivas from Color Lines mentioned that it’s his blog’s policy to spend half an hour writing the headline for a story that took an hour to write, which one of the instructors found fascinating (In The Militant’s case, he won’t even start on a blog post unless he’s thought of some sort of witty/pun-filled/pop-culture-referential headline).

After the panel, some of the students stayed to set up their Tumblr accounts (pictured right). The class, which had been going on for about a month already, explores other facets of teh social media realm in other weeks, and a few of the students are considering embarking on their own blogs.

The Militant sincerely hopes he’s inspired the bloggers of tomorrow (or at least next month), and that they employ their own elements of Militancy in their work!

Now that's an education! Photo courtesy of Bobby Buck

Professor Militant...hmmm…

On another level, it was totally awesome to interact in person with actual people, many of whom stared at The Militant, most likely wondering, “WTF does this guy think he is?”

This may or may not open up other opportunities in the near or far future to do more public appearances! The Militant has always wanted to put on a group bike ride and visit some of the actual places he’s written about! Would any of you dig something like that?

The Militant thanks fellow bloggers Rivas and Freemon for the privilege of sharing our knowledge and experiences, and to instructors Bayne and Coley and the students of the CP10 class, thanks for an unforgettable first-time experience!

The Militant would also like to thank Los Angeles Trade Tech’s security officers for not giving The Militant a hard time as he sauntered through campus in full Militant gear! He really appreciated that! 

Conan's (Street) Sign Of The Times

The Mayor's office has responded to talk show host Conan O'Brien's request to have his own eponymous Los Angeles City Street. And lookie lookie, it also features one o' dem new-fangled Chevy logo/UFO street signs that The Militant talked about in great detail a few months ago.

The gist of the video response is that Coco needs to prove his worth to the City by giving back in some form or another. Though The Miltant has had his criticisms of Villaraigosa through the years (most of them non-transportation-related though), The Militant is 100% in agreement that the Boston-area native-via-NYC transplant has to sow, and not just reap, in this urban farmland of Los Angeles.

The Militant may or may not be a Conan fan of course, but the "giving back" mandate should apply to  everyone in the entertainment industry. Do we not have a huge divide between the money-grubbing entertainment industry and the countless urban needs in this City? Imagine if all the entertainment companies would "prove their worth" in this City (other than sponsoring the annual AIDS Walk Los Angeles, which seems to be the sole token example of community support the entertainment industry really does).

Furthermore, when the Angelenos listed their litany of community give-backs in the Mayor's video, The Militant couldn't help but realize that he's already done most of these things already.

The Militant has been living in Los Angeles longer than Conan O'Brien obviously, but his blog (4 years) has long outlasted the talk show host's 15-month stint here (7 months at NBC, 8 months at TBS).

So where's Militant Angeleno Street? RECOGNIZE!

For The Win(ners)

Look, even though the Dodgers are in last place, and even though there's a planned protest on Saturday to voice fan displeasure with the McCourt regime (The Militant is 100% for the Deportation of Frank McCourt, but he's also 100% against that rich Dallas dude owning our beloved Boys in Blue, so The Militant's support for the protest is mixed), there's nothing like taking in a Dodger game in the Summertime.

Yes, The Militant is actively boycotting The Dodgers, but he will still attend a game if he can get away with free tickets, using the Dodger Stadium Express bus and eating off-site, resulting in a net of $0.00 for The McCourt regime.

A few months ago, The Militant attended an unspecified organization's fundraiser event, and successfully bid on four Dodgers Loge level tickets in its silent auction. Since the Dodgers donated the tickets to this organization, and the Militant's money went to the organization instead of the McCourt regime, these were, in effect, "free tickets."

The Militant was wondering which of his operatives to take to the game, but had another idea.

After four years of Militancy, he's often wondered what kind of people read his blog and follow his tweets. A number of people are pretty dedicated and hard core MA blog readers, so he wanted to find a way to reward them somehow.

So, he e-mailed a random sampling of MA readers (if you didn't get an e-mail from The Militant, worry not, you may or may not get a chance later on) and randomly selected three qualifying respondents to win a prize: A chance to attend Friday's Dodgers vs. Padres game with The Militant Angeleno.

Wait, what?!?!

The Militant's identity was revealed at last?

Well, it may or may not have. Seriously. His true identity was never revealed to the three unspecified winners, but he did appear unmasked, sort of.

After meeting at an unspecified Downtown landmark eatery, we took the bus to The Stadium, and like clockwork, arrived right at The Militant's proper game deadline: The singing of The National Anthem.

The Militant won't reveal much details but he will say that he and the three winners, each of whom hail from different backgrounds and live in different parts of town, all had an awesome time, each partaking in  some awesome conversation. The Militant got to know more about these folks, whom he never had the chance to meet in his other life, and they got to know more about The Militant (well, all he is allowed to reveal...). A bunch of cool, down-to-Earth, real people.

So all y'all who say Angelenos are superficial, self-centered, rude, stupid and any other pejorative pinned on the people from this great city, you need to sit down with a knife and fork and dine on a piping-hot, fresh-from-the-oven shit pie. You need to go on Twitter, follow @TheShitTruck and eat today's special. you need to search on Yelp for the word "shit" and...okay, you get the picture.

As for the game, it was almost secondary, but the 8th and 9th innings were all that mattered: Furcal's RBI single, Javy Guerra's cliffhanger save and the Dodgers' second shutout win in a row, beating the San Diego team 1-0. The evening couldn't have been better.

But it was: After Randy Newman's victory song, the four of us went down to the outfield, and situated ourselves right smack dab in the middle of Andre Ethier's workplace, on the very same sacred grass field where so many Dodger memories were made, where we saw a 15-minute low-altitude (as to not disturb the neighbors as much) fireworks display (as if we all didn't get our fill on Monday).

The awesome conversations continued on the bus back to Union Station, where, upon arrival, The Militant led them to a spot on Vignes Street and pointed to a location not far from there, where he gave them an exclusive Militant tour of a significant historical location (He'll tell the rest of you readers all about it later on). After that, they all went their separate ways, and The Militant went back underground, both literally and figuratively.

The Militant has long lurked in the shadows, but it was very exciting to step out, albeit for just a little bit. This was an experiment in expanding Angeleno militancy on a more social level. After all, other sites shouldn't have a monopoly on social events, and The Militant has been doing his thing longer than they have.
Of course, such gatherings would have to be controlled. No doubt his enemies will inevitably try to infiltrate such events for the sole sake of exposing his identity. So The Militant will remain ever-cautious about these things.

But ultimately, his little experiment validated what's really the best thing about Los Angeles: Its people. And The Militant will continue to explore more of that asset...masked or unmasked.

So keep reading, replying, Tweeting, Facebook commenting and e-mailing...You may or may not have a chance to meet The Militant someday!

Stepping down into the sacred Dodger Stadium outfield!

The lights go out...

 Make 'em go Ah! Ah! Ah!

Okay kids, enough of this planking business.

Militant "4" Life: The First Four Years of Militancy!

The Militant hasn't been that active on teh blogz lately, but he just wanted to take a little time out of his day to say that four years ago today, The Militant Angeleno blog began.

Normally every year on this date, the Militant does something interesting, or at least reflects on the past few years of Militancy in the City of Angels.

Four years is not exactly an eternity, but it is a considerable amount of time. If the Militant were an elected official, he would have served one full term. Are you more militant than you were four years ago?

Part of his inactivity is attributed to the fact that part of his job has already been done. The number of blogs and website out there in the local scene are much more in touch, more aware and more proud of the city they represent, and the number of bloggers and blog posts that represent the Uninformed-Los Angeles-hating-yet-you-still-live-here-WTF perspective are kind of rare these days.

And that's not just tooting his own horn. The site blogging.la has of late been doing a series highlighting its contemporaries in the local blog scene, entitled, Blogging (in) LA. About a month ago, writer Sean Bonner (Whom the Militant doesn't know personally, but has definitely been on quite a few group bike rides in the past...shhhh :)), wrote a touching paean to the Militant Angeleno's blog. Bonner went on to share his experience as a decade-long transplant to Los Angeles, but one that has learned to love, appreciate and defend his city (unlike most other transplants...). That meant a lot for The Militant to hear!

The quote of quotes read, "There is no question countless people in LA know more about their own city because of [his] efforts." The Militant won't put up a "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" banner up on some ship in San Pedro harbor, but it definitely validates the reason why The Militant exists.

The Militant has definitely been a presence on Twitter (follow him if you haven't already!) and it's much easier to do, so in this day an age, he's more than just a mere blogger but a FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH! He's even contemplating getting into Tumblr or something -- not to supplant the MA blog -- but to supplement it. He's even thought of doing his own podcast (locally-born/bred bands/artists, take heed!)

As The Militant alluded to at the beginning of the post, life has gotten in the way of blogging (but his real-life persona is no less militant, he will assure you). Sometimes life is too important to live than to write about.

But The Militant is by no means done, there are more journeys and issues to discuss. He has a list of them ready to go. Some of them take lots of time to research (much like his popular Sacatela Creek and Los Angeles Street Signs posts). Also, the next CicLAvia on October 9 will present an expanded route, which means an updated Epic Militant CicLAvia Tour!

If the Militant is starting out his "second term," then he wants to hear from his "constituents." No, not just "Nice post," but what you think The Militant has been doing right, has been doing wrong, places and issues you would like to see. Of course, The Militant doesn't answer to anyone and does whatever he feels like, but he does want to hear about something that will make him think, or at least inspire him. So, don't be afraid to comment on this post, email him or shoot him a Twitter message.

So here's to another FOUR MORE (unspecified number of) YEARS! STAY MILITANT!

A Special Message From The Militant Angeleno (Video)

(Unm)ask A Chola

A chola she definitely is NOT...She still cute though.

The local blogger/vlogger/Tweeter/internet personality world rocked with an earthquake the past few days as the formerly unspecified Ask A Chola's identity was revealed.

Not only was she not a chola (fairly obvious though), but she was someone who wasn't even Latina - she is revealed to be a Greek American named Chloe Michalopolous. and not "Soledad from East Los" as previously puported. And the stinger? She ain't even from the Eastside. She ain't even from the fake Eastside! She's from Orange County!

ORANGE COUNTY?!?

Get the rope.

Of course, there are actual cholas from the O.C. (which does not stand for "Original Chola"), and though she hardly resembled any of the heavily-makeup'd, gravity-defying oversprayed hair-bang chicks the Militant remembered from his Jr. High and High School days, he probably chalked her up as a pocha who similarly went to school or lived in close proximity to cholas. But nawwww!

The Militant feels a little disillusioned right now. He feels like burning all his Ask A Chola merchandise. Okay, he has none, but maybe he'll delete her site from his web browser's bookmark list. Admittedly, and as you can see from the Militant's lovely photo, Ask A Chola was a quasi-semi-part inspiration for the Militant Angeleno, and now he feels like a 10-year-old who was informed that there is no Santa Claus.

The Militant actually spotted Ask A Chola (or is that Ask A Chloe?) this past August in Chinatown hanging out in the Chinatown central square for the Chinatown Summer Nights program. She was sitting on a bench, wearing a retro-style yellow dress, and she definitely fit the description. Besides, she just tweeted she was there, and she was typing away on her smart phone.

The Militant was soooo tempted to snap a pic of her and reveal her to the world, but Blogger's Honor prevailed (he would get pissed if one of his peers ratted him out!) so the Militant just let it go. Of course, who would have known she was a phony? The transplants love to say "L.A. people are all phony" - Of course, this particular phony is from The O.C.!

Now that the damage has been done, the Militant wants to let you, a person who may or may not be a regular reader of this here blog, know that the Militant Angeleno is not a phony. He is who he says he is: A native Los Angeleno who has long been pissed off about people's general ignorance about Los Angeles, and efforts by transplants and the East Coast media hegemony to perpetrate that ignorance. The Militant never made any claims about his ethnic heritage, other than that his parents immigrated from an unspecified Third World country. All of the above was, is and will always be TRUE. The Militant is The Real Deal. Believe it!

And if you don't here's a scan of part of the Militant's actual birth certificate (click to enlarge):
Okay, any and all identifying information has been pixelated out...but the pertinent information is there: 1) It is a document from the State of California; 2) The Militant was born in Los Angeles County; 3) The Militant was born in the City of Los Angeles and 4) He was born inside the city limits. Not merely a So Cal native but a Los Angeles native! Buhleedat!

The Militant should take this opportunity to reach out to all the fellow disillusioned Ask A Chola fans out there: Here's a masked person who walks the walk, talks the talk and even bikes the bike. Sure he won't talk about UFOs that much, but you'll learn craploads about this City, researched and written from the perspective of a real Angeleno who grew up on its real streets. Besides, she hasn't updated her blog since February 2009! (And you though thought the Militant is slacking!) If you're looking for your new masked hero, The Militant Is It!

Despite the Militant's little prank earlier this Spring, the Militant remains anonymous. Sure, some think they know who he is. But the Militant can never confirm or deny such hypotheses. Even if he is revealed, he may no longer be anonymous and unspecified, but he will still very much be...a Militant Angeleno.

Infinitely Mortifying! KCET Divorces PBS

An earthquake shook today in the local broadcast television world as TV station KCET decided to terminate its relationship with the Public Broadcasting Service, stemming from disagreement over paying an annual $7 million programming fee to broadcast such shows as PBS News Hour, Antiques Roadshow, NOVA and, of course Sesame Street. Elmo no like that!

KCET has been a PBS station since the network formally started 40 years ago. The Militant, like many people his age, grew up on PBS shows on Channel 28. In addition to Sesame Street, it was all about The Electric Company, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, 3-2-1 Contact, Reading Rainbow and lesser-known shows such as Villa Alegre, Zoom and The Song Bag with Tony Saletan. Where would today's kids turn to? Oh, wait, never mind. Also, most televisions in So Cal can pick up Orange County's KOCE, which remains a PBS affiliate.

Still, the shock is unavoidable, and one can only guess the impact of KCET's split. Hmm. Mayor Villaraigosa got divorced and disappointed Los Angeles. Frank McCourt got divorced and disappointed Los Angeles. Is KCET next?

KCET plans to remain, as station president Al Jerome (no, not that guy) stated in his official announcement, an "independent public television station" with "a track record of producing great local programming." Huell Howser fans need not fret, as he won't be going anywhere. In fact, The Huell will be the undisputed face of the station. Wow, that's a-mazing!

One thing is certain - KCET plans to remain a nonprofit public station, will not go commercial and will continue to carry PBS programming until December 31, 2010. As for 1/1/11, that's anyone's guess.

Soooo...here's what the Militant guesses KCET will be broadcasting, starting in 2011:

Mr. Howser's Neighborhood: The Huell will be hosting yet another show, aimed at children, teaching them about a-ma-zing places in Southern California. There will be a trolley, which will be furnished by the San Pedro Waterfront Red Car.

Hipster Antique Store Roadshow: Filmed on location in Silver Lake, this show features hipsters from all over what they consider to be "The Eastside," lining up to get expert appraisals of their vinyl copy of Vampire Weekend's debut album, their first-generation iPhone and their medium-sized t-shirt with a picture of a synthesizer on it.

The LAist.com News Hour: The most-talked about local issues of the day are discussed in this nightly news program hosted by LAist.com's Zach Behrens and Lindsay William-Ross.

This Old Craftsman House: Produced entirely in Highland Park, the show's host shows viewers the step-by-step process of DIY'ing your own craftsman house restoration.

Second Street: This children's program takes place entirely in Downtown Los Angeles starring a human cast with puppet characters, designed by Bob Baker Marionette Theater. Puppet characters include the Taco Monster, Ponderous Pigeon and Oscar The NIMBY.

Actually, this whole independent, local KCET thing might not be a bad idea after all. In fact, it might be the best thing evar for the Los Angeles airwaves. PBS is based in Arlington, VA and has an obvious East Coast Bias. An independent KCET would be...Infinitely Angeleno!

Come to think of it...The Militant Angeleno should have his own show! No, really! After all, he possesses an exemplary knowledge of Los Angeles, has some experience being in front of the camera and KCET obviously knows about him. So whaddya say, KCET? GIVE THE MILITANT HIS OWN SHOW IN 2011!

MA blog readers, let KCET know you want to see the Militant on the air!

Curbed LA Out Of Ideas, Rips Off The Militant

Yesterday, the development blog Curbed LA put out an open call to rename the area formerly referred (and propagated) by them as "The Eastside." They also claimed to end the long-standing debate as to where the Eastside is, and whether brown-skinned folks should be considered actual human beings that are worthy of recognition and interaction.

Well la-di-da, not only did the Militant actually end that debate two freaking years ago, but he also put out the same call to rename the same said area, and even demarcated it with three question marks. A total rip off? Ya think?

Though maybe the Militant shouldn't be angered. After all, this is a major admission (some would call it surrender) by one of the worst perpetrators of mis-naming the "Eastside." And of course, the blatant rip-off is indisputable proof that the Militant is ahead of his time. Lastly, when reading the comments between Curbed and the Militant, it's easy and plain to see that readers of the Militant - even the transplanted ones - are so much more creative, intelligent, insightful and englightened.

On the Curbed forums, an example of their readers' collective ignorance and arrogance is perfectly examplified by the comment made by one such reader named "Sparkletime":

"so tired of all the "i grew up here so i know" argument. who cares. i live here now and i'm fine calling it the east side."

The Militant is sure that "Sparkletime" would be perfectly fine with Angelenos moving into their little Podunk backwards hometown and re-naming everything because they feel entitled to it. Of course, "Sparkletime" probably comes from the kind of town where the biggest weekly event is the Klan march.

Just proves that there's some real ignorant motherfukkkers out there. Even more reason to STAY MILITANT!

My Name Is Alfred Mahanta, And I Am The Militant Angeleno

Whatup?! This is the Militant here, and he may or may not have something to say.

In a week where a certain celebrity has decided to openly reveal his sexual orientation, the Militant felt moved and inspired to reveal a little something about himself of his own -- himself.

He's usually not inclined to speak in the first person, but he'll make an exception just this once:

My name is Alfred Mahanta, and I am the Militant Angeleno.

I was born on December 3, 1972 at Ross Loos Medical Center (now Silver Lake Medical Center) in what is now known as Historic Filipinotown. I grew up in parts of Los Angeles that were for the most part "unspecified" during my youth -- today they are parts of Koreatown and Los Feliz.

My parents really did come from an "unspecified 3rd world country." Well, two of them - My dad came from India and my mom came from Indonesia. I went to Alexandria Avenue Elementary School, Bancroft Jr. High School and Fairfax High (Go Lions!), class of 1990. I spent two years at Cal State Northridge before graduating with my communications degree from UCLA.

I really didn't know where I fit in. There weren't many Indian-Indonesian-Americans I could identify with. So really I was cool with everybody and tried to learn a little bit from my Latino, Jewish, Asian and African American friends at school. One of my best friends, Roel, whom I've known since the 5th grade, introduced me to his own culture and I had Filipino food every time I hung out at his house. That led to a lifelong fascination with foods from different countries of the world, and a place like Los Angeles certainly has an abundance of that, which is but one of the reasons why I love my hometown so much.

So how did this Militant thing start?

My life changed forever when I picked up a Los Angeles Reader from the Music Plus store (remember those?) sometime in the late '80s and the cover story was the Pacific Electric Red Cars, and what caused their demise. That just like blew my mind. I had no idea this City had a rail transit system, running through streets I've driven, walked, biked and ridden the RTD bus on. There was much more to this City than I thought there was.

That led to an obsession with Los Angeles history, which grew and grew and remains with me today. That this City has all sorts of amazing layers of history and human stories, it had a real soul, contrary to what many others think.

It wasn't until I got to UCLA when I learned about transplants...For the most part, everyone I knew up until college was either a native, an immigrant or arrived here before they attended school. There was no "out here" or "spread out" or other transplantspeak for me growing up. So to hear these words from others, it felt very foreign to me.

I had done some video projects back in high school, and was a frequent contributor to the Daily Bruin. I found myself doing all sorts of Los Angeles history topics or writing about current developments at the time, namely the Downtown Los Angeles skyscraper boom and the nascent Metro Rail system. I dunno, those things just fascinated me.

I had done some internships and part-time jobs at places like KCET, KCOP, the LA Weekly and even the good ol' Recycler. Working in the TV field especially exposed me to more and more transplants who were here to fulfill their showbiz dreams, and over time that shit just got to me.
Furthermore, I had an ex-girlfriend who hailed from Queens, NY and was a diehard Mets fan. Bet you can guess how that turned out!

I had thought of doing a "Militant Angeleno" ("MA" is my initials reversed) website for the longest time but work and other endeavors got in the way. Finally in June of 2007 during a period of unemployment, I suddenly felt inspired with new things happening in the Hollywood area and my home neighborhood of Los Feliz (yes, that is where the Militant Compound is located; no, I'm not giving you the exact address - I still have a right to privacy!) that I just decided to take a cue from an unspecified athletic shoe company and Just Do It. Ergo, the Militant Angeleno blog was born, and the rest is history.

So there you have it, everything you wanted to know about the Militant. He...uh, I am full aware that the mystique has worn off a bit, and part of me regrets revealing myself at long last, but on the other hand, I've probably gained some new friends (hopefully). So feel free to add me on my real-life Facebook page. I'll look forward to meeting you all in person one day.

I may no longer be anonymous, but I will always...

STAY MILITANT!
MA a.k.a. Alfred M.

[April Fools, suckazz!! Thanks for reading though!]

The Militant's 2009 Round-Up!

Whatup?! Looks like another year is a wrap. So it's time to reminisce and look back on the year that was.

First off, the Militant would like to apologize to all his loyal readers for the lack of consistency/prolificity in his posts this year. Eighty-four posts? PATHETIC! That's inexcusable for the Militant! But alas, without revealing much, it may or may not had to do with one or more or none of the following: His busy schedule, work, lack of work, travel (yes, the Militant leaves town, he just won't tell you when), health, extramilitant activities, The Witness Relocation Program, alien abduction, pirates, zombies, vampires (none of that Twilight crap though), robots, ninjas, robot ninjas, pure laziness, or the fact that it's sometimes better to use your time to live live rather than write about it. But the Militant will resolve to do a better job in 2010 (how do you pronounce that anyway? "Two-thousand-ten?" "Two-thousand-and-ten?" "Twenty-ten?") Oh well, he'll worry about that tomorrow.

NOW ON TO THE CLIP SHOW!

2009 began very foggy, but as soon as it cleared, he had himself a good meal at the Homegirl Cafe. The price of the Los Angeles Times went up to 75 cents, but sometimes you can get a copy for free if you just keep looking. For Martin Luther King, Jr. day, the Militant mapped out the places in town named after the civil rights leader. And speaking of leaders, as our country had a new one sworn in and made history, the Militant made another map where the one-time Oxy student named Barry Obama left his mark on this City.

The Militant also took a trip to the Grammy Museum at LA LIVE (gotta be all caps...), which was also an on-location filming site for the upcoming Iron Man sequel.

The Militant did a little re-branding for his 2nd year of operations. Techwise, he jumped on the Twitter bandwagon in April, but in the fall, Facebook booted him off, accusing him of being "fake" (like all the other Angelenos, that's what they all say, right?). Oh well, the solution? Just start a new account, lol.


The Lakers did it, and Angelenos partied hard (sometimes a little too hard). But he did get to see the Coliseum decked in purple and gold for the very first time. The Dodgers almost did it, but just like last year, fell short in the final four. Still, it was another great season that began with an "O"utrageous "O"pening Day, was marred by Manny's suspension, then celebrated his eventual return, and found them winning the West (again), sweeping the NLDS (again) and being beaten in 5 by the Phillies...again. But win or lose, this was Dodgertown, and the street signs prove it all.
In other sports news, the Militant threw the first-ever Militant Bowl, where Bruins and Trojans got to duke it out on this here blog. This time around, it went to USC.

The Big-Ass Station Fire (is it STILL burning?), among the many brushfires we see (and breathe) in Southern California was one of the huge local stories of the year. So massive props to the firefighters who put their lives on the line, and even pay the ultimate price.



Analog television signed off, and Michael Jackson was sent off, and the Militant was one of the 20,000 to be there at Staples Center for the star-studded memorial service. He even made a map of MJ-related sights and landmarks around town.

Conan O' Brien moved his show to Universal City, and further down the Cahuenga Pass, Gustavo "The Dude" Dudamel made his debut at The Bowl.





Also making its debut was the long-awaited (M) Gold Line Eastside Extension, opening up real rapid transit to The Real Eastside, homes. It was such a huge occasion, the Militant showed his face (well, kinda) again. The Militant also gave you an exclusive Militant tour of the O.G. Gold Line.

As usual, the Militant took you places, from Encino to San Dimas, dude, from Florence and Normandie to Figueroa and Sepulveda (yes, there is such an intersection), from the top of Mt. Hollywood to the beach by the Marina, and he will no doubt take you to more places in 2010.

Bar none, the highlight of the Militant's year was being interviewed in September by KCET.org's website for their "Better Know A Blogger" series. Obviously he couldn't reveal that much about himself, but it was a huge ego boost for the Militant and was proof positive that the Militant Angeleno is a force to be reckoned with in this City. RECOGNIZE!

Who knows what adventures (or mis-adventures) we'll face in Los Angeles in 2010? Leave it up to the Militant to take you there.

Happy 2010, Angelenos! Hope it'll be a good one for y'allz.

Peace.
Militant L. Angeleno

Facebook Vs. The Militant

So the Militant logs into his Facebook page and gets this:
"Account Disabled."

WTF?

So he logged in again, but got the same results:

"Account Disabled."

There was a link that offered an explanation, so he clicked on that.

It read:

Why was my account disabled?
Your account was disabled because the name it was registered under was fake. We do not allow users to register with fake names, to impersonate any person or entity, or to falsely state or otherwise misrepresent themselves or their affiliations. In addition, Facebook accounts are intended for use by single individuals, so groups, clubs, businesses, or other types of organizations are not permitted to maintain accounts.

Fake?

FAKE?!

Excuse the Militant, but the Militant Angeleno is as real as it gets. After doing some research, the Militant discovers that Facebook.com is based in Palo Alto, CA - in the Bay Area - and that it was founded in Cambridge, MA.

Which only means one thing:

Facebook hates Angelenos.

The Militant, who proudly embodies everything Los Angeles, is viewed by people in the Bay Area and the East Coast as "fake." Because they unfairly stereotype everything in Los Angeles as "fake." So for them, Los Angeles is a "fake" place, and surely someone who represents Los Angeles to such militant extremes has got to be "super fake."

This made the Militant fume with fury.

He has never felt so insulted in his life.

Then again, as wrong as those Bay Area and East Coast haters think about this City, it must be an honor though to be considered a true representative of Los Angeles, despite their disingenuous notions.

Not a good week for the Militant as far as the Internet. First YouTurd refuses to accept the Militant's recent Gold Line Opening Day Vlogstyle Episode, now Facebook denies the Militant entry because it believe all Angelenos are fake. Just a warning to all you other Angelenos out there, if you seem to have problems with Facebook.

So a big F-You to F-Book!

KCET Reveals 'Infinitely More' About The Militant

It's not every day that the Militant gets to toot his own horn (or even blog, yes, guilty, guilty...) but a few weeks ago Yoli Martinez from KCET's website dared to do what has never been done before:

Interview the Militant.

It's not like the Militant is off-limits for interviews; you can ask him anything you'd like - it's just that he may or may not give you the exact answer you're looking for.

But there it is, as part of their "Better Know A SoCal Blogger" series (which has previously interviewed folks like Loteria Chicana and Green LA Girl) on their new KCET local site (Blatant cross-promotion, no?).

Oh yeah, in case you're wondering, the interview was conducted via the anonymous guise of electronic mail, which means that any attempt to pester Ms. Martinez (or any other KCET staff member) on any information as to the Militant's phenotypical appearance or true identity will get you nowhere! So don't bother, fool!

Honestly, the Militant doesn't know where this newfound spike in notoriety might lead. Perhaps the Militant needs an agent, or an entourage of his own. Well he kinda sorta already does. Or not. Success may or may not spoil him - we shall see!

But the Militant is insanely humbled at the fact that the online home of The Huell has taken an interest in the Militant and allowed him this rare opportunity to share a little bit more about himself to the online world. Militant Thanks, Yoli, Gary and KCET!

And for those of you who clicked on over from the KCET.org interview wondering, "WTF?" the Militant invites you to catch up on the Militant Archives, to read up on his previous posts. Most notably, posts dispelling various Los Angeles myths/stereotypes and writing the be-all, end-all statement on the stupid "Eastside/Westside" boundary debate. You can also follow the Militant on Twitter. Enjoy and, if you are doing so already... Stay Militant!

Contest: Who Wants To Be A Militant Angelena?

The Militant, currently celebrating his two years rocking the blogosphere, knows well enough that things have been a little too testosterone-fueled in here during that time (and we all know what happens when there's too much testosterone), and wants to do something different to commemorate this 2nd Anniversary of Militancy.

So here it is:

The Militant knows there's quite a few women who read the Militant Angeleno's blog, and quite frequently, too. He also understands that quite a few women out there may or may not have Militant tendencies of your own, with regard to this great City!

So he would like to host the first-ever MILITANT ANGELENA COMPETITION!

The rules are such:

- The contest is open to all females, in or from Los Angeles. Native status not required (but it helps!)

- You will be given one week, with the submission deadline 11:59 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Saturday, June 27, 2009, to write and submit a Militant Angelena post!

- The post can cover an event, a place, or opinion on a subject pertaining to Los Angeles. Just like the Militant! Think of it as if YOU were the Militant for one day!

- There is no limit on length, but if your entry induces scroll fatigue, then that's a pretty good indicator you might not win.

- Pictures will be accepted and are encouraged. They must be 640 pixels wide by 480 pixels high , 72 dpi resolution. They must be original photos taken by yourself, or your trusted operatives (credit must be given if operatives assist).

- Video or Vlogs will be accepted as part of a written post. Please upload to YouTube and submit the URL in your entry.

- Also include a short 1-2 paragraph bio about yourself.

- Entries must be submitted via email on MS Word or plain text file (.txt), along with any photos. Entries must be emailed to militantangeleno [at] gmail [dot] com with the topic, "Militant Angelena."

- Entries will be judged by the Militant and his operatives on the following criteria:

- Originality
- Writing quality
- Militancy
- The ability to encourage behavior that results in positive change in current Angeleno attitudes
- Local/historical knowledge
- Ability to teach the reader something new about Los Angeles
- The ability to kick ass!

The winning entry will be published on Tuesday, June 30, 2009 and the winner will also go on a date with the Militant Angeleno receive a nice prize!

Are any of you ladies Militant Enough?

Best of luck! WRITE MILITANT!

Two Years Of Militancy!!

Two years ago this week, the world local blogosphere changed forever.

For what was once a virtual land ravaged by historically and culturally-disadvantaged hipsters chopping away on Mac Books, claiming whatever they wanted to be "The Eastside," the landscape has changed, with some local standard-bearer blogs featuring more historically- and culturally- relevant posts than before, and even some of the formerly voiceless finally becoming empowered.

The Militant's job isn't done, of course, as evidenced by the behavior of some punks in the Downtown area on Sunday night. The Militant still forges on, even through what may or may not be career, time, health or unspecified issues. The Militant knows full well that his lack of prolificity withing the past year has become an issue, both public and personal, but the Militant still lurks amongst the multitudes in the City to bring you what you might not find anywhere else!

The Militant would like to thank each and every one of you for your time, your comments, including the Militant Angeleno's blog in your RSS feeds, your Facebook friend adds and Twitter follows! Much is truly appreciated from the very Angeleno heart and soul of this Militant! If he could bump fists with each and every one of you, he could (but of course, doing such a thing might give away his identity, so unfortunately it ain't gonna happen)!

The Militant has some surprises up his sleeve, so hang on, Angelenos and...STAY MILITANT!!

Logo Agogo!

The Militant, in consultation with his marketing-minded operatives, are currently executing a gradual updating of this site. The old logo is kinda played out, besides, he...kinda stole the "fist" logo off of a Google Image Search (Hey, time was of the essence, he needed to get the site up right away...). Now he's created his own icon, in the form of a monochromatic silhouette of his clench-fisted self. How freaking awesome can that be?

Anyway, he may or may not (No, really) settle on this logo design, or tweak with it in the next few days or weeks. If you're a diehard MA reader, he'll welcome your comments (But will ultimately go with his gut instinct in the end).

The Militant Twitters!!!

Not to sound like a bandwagon jumper or anything, but the Militant has long resisited the microblogging phenomenon known as Twitter for the mere fact that he wasn't such a fan of people knowing the Militant's whereabouts. After all, the Militant operates in secret, right?

But instead, the Militant has come to grips with the thing and discovered it could be an advantage after all. The Militant keeps a busy and hectic Militant schedule, which may or may not (usually may not...) afford him enough bloggering time. So maybe a few lines texting here and there would drive the point in!

We shall see. Maybe it will be a total disaster - or worse - some enterprising and nosy reader will put two and two together and pinpoint the Militant's exact location and expose him once and for all (perish the thought!). But the Militant, none the stranger to risk-taking, is at least hopeful it will open a new avenue for him. Maybe a year from now you can only find him on Twitter?
As for right now, you can see his Twitters towards the lower right hand corner of this page, just above the "Rival Guerrilla Factions" links.

So, follow him now!